Paris

You'll want to bring your appetite, as the portions are massive (in fact, I suggest splitting the starters). The dishes are homey and unpretentious, from the marbled slab of chicken-liver terrine (E4), served with tear-inducingly sour cornichons; to the Henry VIII portions of stuffed chicken (E9) or chicken with a piquant tomato sauce (E8); to the classic boeuf bourguignon (E11). I suggest skipping the creme caramel (E3.50) and opting for either a sorbet (E5) or a chocolate fondant (E5.50).

Le Petit Prince de Paris

12 rue de Lanneau, call first for reservations: 01-43-54-77-26. Metro: Maubert-Mutualite. Two courses for E17 ($17). Dinner only.

We get a baby-sitter when we eat at Le Petit Prince. Sure, we could take our three-and-a-half-year-old with us, but why waste this dimly lit, romantic restaurant on a family meal? (The terra-cotta walls combined with the candlelight do wonders for the skin, making everyone look like they have a sexy Saint-Tropez tan.) It's a place for lovers of all stripes, as the restaurant is proudly gay-friendly, displaying rainbow flags in its window and playing a soundtrack that veers from the cliched (Judy crooning "Over the Rainbow") to the toe-tapping (Louis Prima) to the just plain odd (Madonna's version of Evita).

The decor is as eclectic as the music, each of the three rooms with a distinct character. As you enter the place, it looks somewhat like an eccentric collector's parlor, with oddly shaped food tins, and unusual posters gracing the walls. Then you come upon what I call the "Italian garden"-the middle area-with its stone putti fountain, its abundant plants, its canary cage. Upstairs, you're back in France, sitting in a wooden-beamed den, with framed belle epoque posters on the walls.

The food is, for the most part, excellent. Choose from two menus: a two-plate formule at E17, and a more elaborate E22 prix fixe. You won't be cheated by going with the less expensive option (but if you want such pricey treats as escargots and foie gras, you're going to have to ante up). On the cheapskate front are fresh salad with warm goat cheese and apples, poached eggs with blue cheese, and a rustic, tangy plate of potatoes, onions, and Lyonnaise sausages in a chive vinaigrette (scrumptious!). For the main plate, the choices often change with the seasons, but on the occasions I've been there, the highlights have been a frenchified chicken tandoori with a real pepper kick, plated on a spiced-yogurt foam; lamb chops smothered in goat cheese; and sesame-crusted veal in a creamy oregano sauce. If you decide to spring for dessert (an extra E5.80), avoid the overly sweet peach tart and instead go for the rich Charlotte au chocolat (basically a mousse in a crust), the chocolate menthe sorbet with hot chocolate sauce, the rice pudding, or the toasted almond mousse.

Le Colimacon

44 rue Vielle du Temple, 01-48-87-12-01. Metro: Place du Ville. Appetizer and entree or entree and dessert for E14.50 ($14.50). Closed Tuesdays, dinner only.

With a few key changes, such as getting rid of the unrelenting pop music and dimming the lights, Le Colimaeon would have ambience galore. Named for the treacherous, winding staircase in the center of the restaurant (patrons sit on two levels, and the rail-thin waiters stay that way by dashing up and down, loaded with trays), Le Colimaeon is set in a 1732 house constructed by royal architect Louis Le Tellier. The owners have the sense not to touch the rough stone walls, or the dark wooden beams in the ceiling, keeping the rooms serenely uncluttered.

But it really isn't the look of the place that made this our new favorite in Paris-it's the food, which is a cut above standard budget fare (Le Petit Prince comes close to it in quality). At our first visit, my husband declared his mussels the best he'd ever had, and I couldn't agree more-those little critters had to have been born and raised in white wine and cream, so perfectly infused was each bite. The pork loin would have tickled Marie Antoinette, coated with honey and then dashed with vinegar. Even three-year-old Veronica was enthralled, downing her lamb chops so quickly I barely got a taste. I could go on and on about the lime mousse with raspberry sauce (which puts most key lime pies to shame), the perfect fish soup, the leek and shrimp flan...but you get the point. This place must be tasted!

Le Colimacon is only open for dinner, so if you're looking for a place in the Marais for lunch, Le Reconforte, 37 rue de Poitou (Metro: Filles du Calvaire) is a terrific pick. While it's a bit pricier at dinner, its E12 prix fixe (two courses) puts it squarely in our budget for the midday meal. An elegant restaurant, looking like the library of a nineteenth-century noble (with a fondness for Turkish art, and oddly, twentieth-century painting), Le Reconforte serves inventive Proven?al cuisine. Another top choice.

Restaurant La Peccadille